An arrest has been made nearly 25 years after a Southern California woman disappeared after leaving for work and was later found dead in a remote area of Hesperia, authorities announced Friday.
Suzanne Sites-Fenton was reported missing on April 14, 2001, after she left her home for a night shift at a Mervyn’s department store in Victorville and never returned, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
During the initial investigation, detectives learned that Sites-Fenton took a break during her shift and walked into the store’s parking lot but never came back to work or home.
The following day, authorities located her abandoned vehicle, where evidence of a physical altercation was discovered. Two days after she was reported missing, on April 16, 2001, Sites-Fenton’s body was found in an undeveloped area near Mariposa Road and Ranchero Street in Hesperia.
Investigators determined that Sites-Fenton, who was 37 years old at the time, had been kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and shot. Despite extensive efforts, no suspect was identified, and the case eventually went cold.
In 2025, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Cold Case Homicide Team reopened the investigation and identified a suspect as Raymond Silva Gonzales.
Gonzales, a 51-year-old Hesperia resident, was arrested after homicide detectives obtained a warrant. He was booked on suspicion of murder and is currently being held without bail. Authorities have not disclosed what evidence led investigators to connect Gonzales to Sites-Fenton’s death.
Anyone with information related to the case is urged to contact the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Detail at 909-890-4904. Anonymous tips can be submitted through We-Tip by calling 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or visiting wetip.com.